This article in the New York Times by Julie Bloom covers The UnConvention and MAW’s participation in the event.
Blog
MAW in Seattle Business Monthly
Posted & filed under Press.
An article by Chris Clayton on MAW in the Seattle Business Monthly…
MAW and I in a Metro Magazine Article
Posted & filed under Press.
Check out this article on MAW which appeared in METRO magazine this week. Here is the original link on METRO’s site.
2008 CNMAT MaxMSP Night School, taught by Ali Momeni
Posted & filed under Teaching.
Between July 21-25 of 2008, I taught the 13th annual MaxMSP Night School, hosted by CNMAT. This was the 9th year I taught at the night school, crazy!
I have posted all course material on CNMAT’s 2008 Max/MSP Night School page.
President’s Faculty Multicultural Research Award
Posted & filed under Uncategorized.
UMN College/University Service: Weismann Expansion Advisory Committee
Posted & filed under Teaching.
Spring 2008:
I was recommended by UMN Vice President Steven Rosenstone to Weismann Art Museum Director Lyndel King to serve on the advisory committee for the museums expansion project.
The project involves the construction of several new gallery spaces, as well as a “Target Collaborative Studio”, on the front side of the museum.
The project should be completed by 2010.
“Minneapolis Art on Wheels” on walkerart
Posted & filed under Press.
“University of Minnesota professor Ali Momeni and his students are on their way to San Jose’s Zero1 Festival later this week with their mobile projection units. The mobile projection units are GRL-inspired work bikes equipped with a computer, projector, generator and all other necessary gear for outdoor projection mayhem, which will be used during The UnConvention…”
Read the full article by JUSTIN HEIDEMAN at this link.
Lecture at Carleton College
Posted & filed under Teaching.
I gave a lecture to a class of bright eyed Carletonites, makes me miss Swarthmore College….
Here is the announcement.
UMN College/University Service: Northrop Hall Technological Advisory Committee
Posted & filed under Teaching.
Spring 2008:
I was invited by Vice President for Scholarly and Cultural Affairs, Steven Rosenstone, to be a part of the 6-member technology advisory committee for the ambitious re-design of Northrop Hall, one of the oldest buildings on the UMN Twin Cities Campus.
We collectively came up with a list of wants, needs and ideas; they include: the maximization of public spaces, the allocation of the best spaces in the building to those public spaces, the need for a highly wired building, the possibility to use the outside of the building (e.g. projections) as well as the inside, the possibilities of visualizing the activity inside the space on the outside architecture.
Fall 2008:
Benjamin M. Johnson has been appointed to the position of Concerts and Lectures at the University of Minnesota, here‘s the announcement.
Panel Discussion for Art On Wheels
Posted & filed under Teaching.
Video documentaiton of a panel discussion on Feb. 13, 2:30-4:30pm, in Regis Art Center’s In-flux space.
The participants were the following:
-Mary Altman, Minneapolis Art Commission Public Arts Coordinator (confirmed)
-Mike Hoyt, Director of Kulture Klub (confirmed)
-Nora Paul, Director of the Institute for New Media Studiesat the U of M (confirmed)
-Jim Nystrom, UMN Police officer responsible for West Bank and Athletic Facilities (confirmed)
-Tracy Smith, UMN General Council Attorney in charge of student activities (confirmed)
-Steve Johnson, UMPD Deputy Chief
I acted as a moderator for the first segment of the panel discussion (about one hour); we then open the discussion to questions and answers for another hour.
Lecture at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis on ARJ
Posted & filed under Press.
Here’s a video of a lecture by me (now at the Interdisciplinary Program for Collaborative Arts at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis), where I gave an overview of my work. Lots of interesting things!
Lecture: Ali Momeni, Works and the Body at UMN’s ECE Colloquia Series
Posted & filed under Teaching.
I was invited to give a lecture on my work as a part of the UMN Electrical and Computer Engineering Department‘s colloquia series.
Below, a video recording of the lecture….
ARTS 5670 Interdisciplinary Media Collaborations: Treating Time
Posted & filed under Teaching.
I’m teaching a course along with Professor Doug Geers from the School of Music, on the topic of treating time. The course is titled Interdisciplinary Media Collaborations: Treating Time and here is the course description.
COLA 3950/5950: Art for the People/Art on Wheels
Posted & filed under Teaching.
I received a grant from University of Minnesota’s CLA-OIT to support a course I devised inspired by Graffiti Research Lab. The course is titled Art for the people/Art on Wheels here’s the course description.
I am immeasurably excited about the possibilities of the course…
Where I Work: Regis Art Center
Posted & filed under Uncategorized.
At last, thanks to my main man Mark Knierim, a map of this incredible facility call Regis Art Center.
Mark also told me about the Four Gates of Speech among his many wise words…
Here is the full size image.
JazzMutant Featured Artist
Posted & filed under Press.
To share my work with their Lemur controller, the cats at JazzMutant have selected me among their featured artists with this profile.
ARTS 3603/5630: Experimental Video
Posted & filed under Teaching.
My first course at the University of Minnesota’s Art Department focusing on generative video with Max/MSP and Jitter.
Check out the course’s blog.
Ali Momeni, Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota
Posted & filed under Teaching.
It is finally official:
I have started a faculty position at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. The position is a tenure-track assistant professorship, appointed in the Department of Art and the Interdisciplinary Program for Collaborative Arts (IPCA).
I am looking very forward to the new life, the new environment, new possibilities and my new immediate colleagues: Guerino Mazzola (Music), Michael Sommers (Theater), Diane Willow (Art, Time and Interactivity), and Lynn Lukkas (Art, Time and Interactivity) and Michael Cherlin (Music, Director of IPCA).
This fall, I will teach two courses; the first on Experimental Video, and the second on Time.
And the best part: my email address in a university with 60,000 people: ali at umn dot edu
Let the good times begin….
CNMAT MaxMSP Nigh School Student Evaluation Results
Posted & filed under Teaching.
Course evaluation form results from 2005, 2006 and 2007, with 38 out of 62 students responding to the survey.
A PDF version of CNMAT’s MaxMSP Night School Student Evaluation is here.
2007 CNMAT MaxMSP Night School, taught by Ali Momeni
Posted & filed under Teaching.
Between July 23-27 of 2007, I taught the 12th annual MaxMSP Night School, hosted by CNMAT.
A few related links:
–Course Syllabus and Patches
–Course Evaluation Form (please fill it out if you took the course!)
–Evaluation Results
2005 ENSAD ARi courses taught by Ali Momeni
Posted & filed under Teaching.
In the 2005 academic year, I taught interactivity design and real-time programming at ENSAD‘s ARi program.
My Max/MSP/Jitter patches for the initial intensive workshop are here by day:
–Monday
–Tuesday
–Wednesday
–Thursday
My students’ projects are documented here.
2006 CNMAT MaxMSP Night School, taught by Ali Momeni
Posted & filed under Teaching.
Between July 24-28 of 2006, I taught the 10th annual MaxMSP Night School, hosted by CNMAT.
A few related links:
–Course Syllabus and Patches
–Course Evaluation Form (please fill it out if you took the course!)
–Evaluation Results
Video Interview on Cycling 74
Posted & filed under Press.
A video profile produced by Sue C. and posted on Cycling 74.
2004 ENSAD ARi courses thought by Ali Momeni
Posted & filed under Teaching.
In the 2004 academic year, I taught interactivity design and real-time programming at ENSAD‘s ARi program.
My Max/MSP/Jitter patches for the initial intensive workshop are here by day:
–Monday
–Tuesday
–Wednesday
–Thursday
–Friday
–One more day
My students’ projects are documented here.
2005 CNMAT MaxMSP Night School, taught by Ali Momeni
Posted & filed under Teaching.
Between July 11-15 of 2005, I thought the 10th annual MaxMSP Night School, hosted by CNMAT.
A few related links:
–Course Syllabus and Patches
–Course Evaluation Form (please fill it out if you took the course!)
–Evaluation Results
Dynamic Independent Mapping Layers for Concurrent Control of Audio and Video Synthesis
Posted & filed under Read.
Abstract
The work in the present article is primarily motivated by a desire for intimate and expressive control over creative processes implemented in real-time performance software. We seek a manner of control that offers a “low entry fee with no ceiling on virtuosity”, allows expressive control of musical and visual control structures (Wessel and Wright 2001); and like many colleagues, we believe that the answer is in enriching the approach to mapping (see (Winkler 1995), (Rovan, Wanderley et al. 1997), (Arfib, Courturier et al. 2002), (Hunt, Wanderly et al. 2002)). Our notion of a dynamic independent visual mapping layer concerns any independent system with Time-Variable behavior that takes data-input from the user and produces output to drive audio/video synthesis. This modification can be a change of dimensionality as well as what is commonly considered “mapping”: changes in numerical ranges, interpretation of “triggers” for setting off events and mathematical analysis and modification of the input, be they one-to-one, convergent, or divergent (Rovan, Wanderley et al. 1997). This modification, however, can be more complex if the mapping system is dynamic, that is, it changes over time. Notably, the internal behavior of the system can produce output variation without variation in the user input. The system is visual because first, we choose mapping spaces that have clear graphical foundations. In the case of our two examples, mass-spring physical models and interpolations systems in perceptual spaces, both have clear visual interpretations that we believe are a significant strength of this approach.
Citation
Ali Momeni, Cyrille Henry. Dynamic Independent Mapping Layers. Computer Music Journal, 30:1. 2005.
Facilitating Collective Musical Creativity
Posted & filed under Read.
Abstract
We present two projects that facilitate collective music creativity over networks. One system is a participative social music system on mobile devices. The other is a collaborative music mixing environment that adheres to the Creative Commons license [1]. We discuss how network and community infrastructures affect the creative musical process, and the implications for artists creating new content for these formats. The projects described are real-world examples of collaborative systems as musical works.
Citation
Tanaka, A., Tokui, N., and Momeni, A. Facilitating Collective Musical Creativity. Proceedings of ACM Multimedia, 2005.
Composing Instruments: Inventing and Performing with Generative Computer-based Instruments
Posted & filed under Read.
Abstract
This dissertation describes music composition as an act of composing instruments. The building blocks of such instruments are discussed: the fundamentally interdisciplinary approach, the role of gesture, the role of real-time generative software, the mappings between gesture and generative processes, and the interaction between performer and instrument. A real-time performance instrument that was composed to accompany the opera Takemitsu: My Way of Life is described. Key constraints imposed by this project are described, namely: the need for the real-time electronic sound to blend and relate musically to the rest of the music, the need to create a stateless and playable instrument, and the need for an instrument that is robust, adaptable, portable. Design and compositional decisions that address these constraints are proposed and the actual implementation is discussed. As a contrasting example of a composed instrument, a second project is presented: an interactive installation named …in memory of Leah Deni created in memory of Leah Deni. This project serves as an example of the same compositional interest in instrument building and interactivity, but applied to an installation setting where the performer is the audience member. Connections between the conceptual and technological aspects of the installation are drawn. Finally, a set of software modules for real-time creative work named _aLib is presented. The modules in _aLib (a set of abstractions for the Max/MSP environment) were used extensively in the described instruments and will hopefully make a contribution to the real-time computer performance community.
Citation
Momeni, A., Composing Instruments: Inventing and Performing with Generative Computer-based Instruments, PhD Dissertation, in Music. 2005, University of California: Berkeley. p. 51.
2003 ENSAD ARi courses taught by Ali Momeni
Posted & filed under Teaching.
In the 2003 academic year, I taught interactivity design and real-time programming at ENSAD‘s ARi program.
My students’ projects are documented here.
Characterizing and Controlling Musical Material Intuitively with Graphical Models
Posted & filed under Read.
Abstract
In this paper, we examine the use of spatial layouts of musical material for live performance control. Emphasis is geven to software tools that provide for the simple and intuitive geometric organization of sound material, sound processing parameters, and higher-level musical structures.
Citation
Momeni, A. and D. Wessel , "Characterizing and Controlling Musical Material Intuitively with Graphical Models." (2003) Proceedings of the New Interfaces for Musical Expression Conference, Montreal, Canada.
Analysis of Luciano Berio’s Points on a Curve to Find
Posted & filed under Read.
Abstract
I shall present my analysis of this piece in three sections. First I will discuss the construction of the solo piano part. In relation to the title of the work, this part signifies “the curve”. Since the piano part is the formal backbone of the piece, I shall include my consideration of work’s form in this section. Next I shall discuss the rest of the ensemble, i.e. “the points”. Finally I will discuss the co-evolution of the solo piano and the ensemble.
Citation
Momeni, A. Analysis of Luciano Berio's Points on a Curve to Find. 2002.
Analysis of Steve Reich’s Drumming and his use of African polyrhythms
Posted & filed under Read.
Abstract
In the summer 1970 Steve Reich went to Ghana to study drumming. With a travel grant from the Special Projects division of the Institute of International Education, he made his way to Accra in order to study with Gideon Alorworye, the resident master drummer of the Ghana Dance Ensemble. Due to illness he returned from only after five weeks. He spent the following year almost exclusively on the ensemble piece called Drumming. At first glance, Drumming appears to draw on Reich’s non-western musical influences more than any other of his compositions to date. The ensemble of instrumentalists sharing their time between drums, mallet instruments and singing testifies to the composer’s attraction African traditions; as does the 12/8 rhythmic cell– reminiscent of an African bell pattern–that accounts for the entire work’s material. However, listening to Steve Reich’s Drumming with an ear that is thirsty for African polyrhythmics is the recipe for misunderstanding and disappointment. The sort of strict polyrhythmics that is found throughout central and west African music is not at all the point of this piece of music. There is a drastic disparity between the complexity of the rhythmic material in traditional African music and the single rhythmic cell present in Drumming. Furthermore, the multi-leveled construction of African polyrhythmics often acts as a vehicle for the master drummer to flaunt his command over the pulse: with great ease, he is able to play just a few of milliseconds ahead of the bell pattern, or ever so slightly behind the low drum. This form of interaction is entirely absent from Drumming. The comparison begs the question: what did Reich learn by going to Ghana?
Citation
Momeni, A. Analysis of Steve Reich's Drumming and his use of African polyrhythms. 2001.
Managing Complexity with Explicit Mapping of Gestures to Sound Control with OSC.
Posted & filed under Read.
Abstract
We present a novel use of the OpenSoundControl (OSC) protocol to represent the output of a gestural controller as well as the input to sound synthesis processes. With this scheme, the problem of mapping gestural input into sound synthesis control becomes a simple translation from OSC messages into other OSC messages. We provide examples of this strategy and show benefits including increased encapsulation and program clarity.
Citation
Wright, M., A. Freed, A. Lee, T. Madden, and A. Momeni. (2001), “Managing Complexity with Explicit Mapping of Gestures to Sound Control with OSC.” Proceedings of the 2001 International Computer Music Conference, Habana, Cuba, pp. 314-317.
An XML-based SDIF Stream Relationships Language
Posted & filed under Read.
Abstract
We introduce the SDIF Stream Relationships Language (“SDIF-SRL”), a formal language for describing the relationships among streams of an SDIF file.
Citation
Wright, M., A. Chaudhary, A. Freed, S. Khoury, A. Momeni and D. Wessel (2000), "An XML-based SDIF Stream Relationships Language." Proceedings of the International Computer Music Conference, Berlin, Germany.